Satisfied

Oh the sweetness of a mother with her baby – thirty plus years later and I can still vividly remember the quiet love that washed over me like a tidal wave when they placed my son in my arms. But he had only one thing in mind – his craving for nourishment. He wanted to eat! Every mom knows that infants will sound the alarm when the first pangs of hunger hit. Mom fills the baby’s empty tummy, and for a season that is all the child knows of her. She is the one who meets his needs. But children grow and the relationship grows with it. The baby soon discovers that Mom is more than a place to eat.
David wrote, “I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me” (Ps 131:2). This is a picture of the child who is past the craving stage; he no longer sees his mother as just a source of food. She is a person to enjoy, a person who loves him. Now he can be content just being in her presence without making demands of her. He still calls for her when he has a need, and he will frequently glance back at her to make sure she is still there and is satisfied to see her nearby.
Are you content simply being in the Father’s presence? Or do you still regard Him as a means to fill your wants and needs? Those who are most satisfied in their relationship with God are the ones who have learned to enjoy Him for who He is. Yes, they trust Him to meet their needs as they come. But He is so much more than a solution to their problems. More and more the Lord is teaching me to love Him for who He is, not just for what He can do for me.
Can you sit with Him in the quiet and just enjoy the privilege? God is able and willing to meet your needs – and your greatest need is Him. Beloved, won’t you come a sit a while with your Father?

Jesus Cares About All of You

Several years ago I came home from work to discover that someone had broken into our apartment. What they took was of little value but the one thing they stole that really mattered was my peace of mind. The next day I told a coworker about our ordeal. He said, “Be grateful no one can steal your salvation.” Honestly, I was annoyed that he dismissed my feelings so flippantly – and so “spiritually.” Of course I was grateful that my salvation was eternally secure, but was my relationship with Jesus only good for the next life? What about the days when my heart is hurting, when my body aches, when my nerves are frazzled, and my load is heavy? Do I face those days and seasons on my own?
Let’s ask the widow of Nain whose only son had died. Jesus encountered his funeral procession and his broken-hearted mother. Luke said, “When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, “Don’t cry.” He was moved deeply by this mother’s pain and He touched her heart before He touched the son’s coffin and raised him from the dead (see Luke 7:11-17).
When a great crowd of people stayed and listened to Him teach for several days, He was concerned for them. He told His disciples, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” He miraculously stretched a few loaves and fishes to feed more than four thousand people. He cared about their souls, and their empty bellies (see Matthew 15:29-39).
What would the leper say whom Jesus not only healed, but touched with His own holy hand (Matt 8:1-4). Or the centurion who came to Jesus to beg for healing for his servant? The man was made well by Jesus’ spoken word (Matt 8:5-13). How about Peter’s mother-in-law and a house full of sick and demon-possessed people who received healing? Ask the sick little girl and the sick old woman – Jesus ministered to both of them (Mark 5:21-43). All through the Gospels, He healed the physically blind, sick, and lame, comforted the hurting and marginalized, and ministered to the spiritually unwell.
Beloved, Jesus cares about you – all of you – body, soul, and spirit. He came to redeem and restore and He came to heal and comfort. Trust me when I say you can trust Him with your life – now and forever.

Sin and the Heart

This may surprise you, but I am a sinner. Yes, I belong to Jesus, He has saved me and redeemed me and continues every day to transform me into His image. He has done so much work in my life where sin is concerned. But like every other human being, I was born with a sinful nature and sinful desires. They may be different from the things that tug at you, but sin is a real and present danger for me.
How do we handle our bent toward sin? The Bible has some great advice for us. Here are a few suggestions:
Recognize sin for what it is and don’t make excuses or exceptions for it. (Psalm 51:3-4)
Keep God’s Word close – in your hands, in your mind, and in your heart. (Psalm 119:11)
Keep God closer. (James 4:7-8)
Keep sin-triggers at a distance. Don’t put yourself in positions you know will pull you into sin – whether places, events, movies, T.V. shows, websites, or even people. Take the way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Repent when you do sin. (Acts 3:19).
Pray.
Repeat as often as necessary.
The prayer I find myself returning to again and again is: “Lord, cause me to love you so much that sin has no appeal to me.” I came to that prayer while meditating on Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart.” I realized that if God is my delight, then I will desire only Him – and that is a desire He is more than willing to fulfill.
Because it is all a matter of the heart. When the Bible speaks of the heart it is not talking about emotions but of intention. The heart is “the seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, and endeavors.” The heart is under our control. It is affected by what we indulge in – whether sin or righteousness. If God is the delight and desire of my heart, I will take no delight in sin and will instead be repulsed by it.
Yes, I have a long way to go, but this is my heart’s desire. Will it be yours too, Beloved? if you love God with all your heart there is no room in your heart to love sin.

Divine Appointments

“That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’” (Mark 4:35).
There was a reason Jesus wanted to cross that lake. “The other side” of the lake was the region of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes) (Mark 5:1). Verse 2 says: “When Jesus go out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.” I get the sense that this was a divinely arranged appointment. Almost like the man knew Jesus was coming. It is certain that Jesus knew the man was waiting for him there.
He was demon-possessed, living in the tombs and the demons had made him so physically strong that he tore through the chains people had used to bind him. “No one was strong enough to subdue him” (v. 4b). The demons had also made him self-destructive: “Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones” (v. 5). People were afraid of him. They ran away from him. But Jesus ran to him.
I’ve never been demon-possessed, but I have a long history of doing some self-destructive and foolish things that caused me a great deal of grief and pain. Things that caused people to turn away from me. I don’t blame them; I would have turned away from me too. Jesus never did. Not only did He not turn away, He pursued me. He came to me, like it was a divinely appointed meeting.
When Jesus and the demonic came together, miraculous healing happened. Mark said that “the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons [was] sitting there dressed and in his right mind” (v. 15). When Jesus came into my life, he did a miraculous healing work in me too. I won’t say I’m “in my right mind,” but I am not the self-destructive woman I was. My heart is full of peace and hope and He has filled my life with Joy. Because when others ran away, Jesus ran to me.
Maybe your mistakes and foolish decisions have left your life in shambles. Others have run away from the chaos and the neediness in your life. Beloved, do not despair. Jesus is running to you with healing and restoration in His hands and unfailing love in His heart. He has a divine appointment. With you.

Navigating the Unknown

Life is full of unforeseen twists and turns. A job loss, a death, a difficult diagnosis, a child in serious trouble, a decision that shakes your family – we all will face life-altering situations. We will all ask, “What do I do now?” “Where do we go from here?” “How will I cope with this?” It’s pretty unnerving to not know what’s up ahead. I understand this uncertainty very well. As I pray and seek God’s Word, these are the promises I’m clinging to.
God is my guide along the way – “[The Lord] leads me…He guides me…” (Ps 23: 2, 3). God knows where I’m going – even if I don’t. He knows the path I must take and what challenges lie ahead. He knows the best place to cross the river and where to stop and rest for the night. I can follow Him with confidence because He is a good guide.
God is always with me – “The Lord your God will be with you where you go” (Jos 1:9). God knows I need the comfort of His presence as I make my way through unknown territory. He knows I will become anxious and I will have sad days. He also knows I will wander from the path if I lose sight of Him. He is carefully attentive to me, knowing when I need encouragement, strength, help and comfort.
God will provide along the way – “These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything” (Deut 2:7). As He guided them through the wilderness, God provided the Israelites with water (Exodus 15:22-25; 17:1-6), food (Ex 16:4; Num 11:31-32) and even kept their clothes from wearing out – for forty years (Deut 29:5). Jesus reminds me that my Heavenly Father knows all my needs, and is committed to providing all things for me if I will trust in Him (Matt 6:25-33).
I don’t know what uncertain path looms large before you, but God does. He has promised to be with you, to care for you, and to lead you all the way. To where? Your heavenly home. You and I may not be able to see what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds tomorrow. Take His hand and let Him lead you, Beloved, He not only knows the way, He is The Way.

Grown-Up Faith

There are some things I know by heart, like how to get to work, how to make a pot of coffee, how to work the washing machine, and how to fall asleep in my recliner. Then there are things I need some help with. When I want to make cornbread, I pull out my mom’s cookbook and turn to the splattered pages. When I am having trouble cyphering numbers, I grab my calculator and hope I enter the figures correctly. And when I am going somewhere I’ve never been I plug in my Garmin and let her guide me. I am not too prideful to ask for help when I need it. Especially with my walk with the Lord.
I used to think the more mature I was in my faith the less I would have to ask for God’s help. Like a child growing less and less dependent on his parents, I thought the point of the Christian life was to be able to stand on my own two feet spiritually. But the more I learn about being in relationship with God the more I realize that the most mature believers are the ones who depend on Him for everything. Mind you, that is “wisdom” that I’ve gained the hard way, by doing what I think is best and suffering the consequences.
I’m struck by Jesus’ words: “By myself I can do nothing . . .” (Jn 5:30). Jesus depended on His Father for wisdom and direction and power that came to Him via the Holy Spirit. Why do we think we can manage life on our own? I am proof that it isn’t so. I need Him every day, every hour, every minute. I need Him because I am weak and He is strong (2 Cor 12:10). I need Him because my wisdom is foolish (1 Cor 3:19). He is the source of true, heavenly wisdom (Jas 3:17). I need Him because I have a bent to sin and only He can rescue me from my sin nature (Rom 7:24-25). I need Him because I can’t see past the moment or the next curve and He sees the end from the beginning (Is 46:10). I need Him because I am prone to wander and lose my way. He is the voice in my ear saying “This is the way, walk in it” (Is 30:21).
The sign of spiritual maturity is leaning on God. Beloved, you will never outgrow your need for your Heavenly Father – and that’s just fine with Him.

Let’s Get Outta That Pit

I’m sitting in Psalm 69 this morning – David is struggling. So am I. He is overwhelmed. So am I. He feels like he is up to his neck in deep waters and sinking into the miry depths. He cannot get a foothold to climb out. He is worn out from calling and seeking help that never comes. He has done some foolish things that seem to have added to his desperate situation. All of this comes from a deep emotional place. I can relate to David this morning.
But here is where David and I differ. He instinctively turns to the Lord. Like a door on a hinge he says, “But I pray to you, O Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation” (v. 13). He knows God’s character – He is sure of the Lord’s faithfulness and love. When the deep waters are closing in on him, he knows his God will not fail him.
I noticed something in this Psalm – David issues a series of pleas that almost sound like a barrage of demands. “Rescue me.” “Deliver me” (v. 14). “Answer me” (v. 16). “Redeem me” (v. 18). But a deeper look tells us that David is speaking from His heart to God’s heart. “O Lord, out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy turn to me” (v. 16). David is appealing to Someone he knows well – someone he thinks about often.
My melancholy nature tends to focus on the pit rather than the Lord. My thoughts do not default to the Lord. I need to do with myself what I sometimes have to do with Joy when I take my hand and turn her little head toward what I want her to see. I need to turn my head – or rather my heart – to Philippians 4:8 and think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. In other words, I need to think about God.
Our thoughts control our feelings, and our feelings control everything else. I invite you to join me in a little exercise Beloved. Let’s write out Philippians 4:8 and put it where we can see it today and remind ourselves to turn our heads and our hearts to God. It’s the only way out of the pit and onto solid ground.

Do You Believe the Bible?

Do you believe the Bible is the truth? The world will answer with a resounding “NO!” and I would expect no less. But I have heard and read many well-meaning (and often well-educated) religious people downplay what the Scriptures so plainly declare. They try to explain away clear text like the seven days of creation. They look for “logical” or “scientific” reasons for creation, the flood, the destruction of Jericho’s walls, or even the resurrection of Jesus. It is confusing at best and destructive at worst.
It’s not just the religious elite. It happens in the pews and the Sunday School classes –I heard a woman who had been in church most of her life say that Noah’s ark and Jonah’s whale were just fairy tales woven into the Bible – they didn’t really happen. If that is so, it begs the question, what else in the Bible didn’t really happen? Sadly, it even happens in the pulpit. I have heard pastors do a soft-shoe dance around clear teachings from the Bible condemning the culture’s favorite sins.
And I have even heard it from some of you. Oh, you believe the creation account, Noah’s ark, Jonah and the whale, and the glorious resurrection of Jesus. But you don’t believe God could never forgive all your sins. I see you, struggling under the weight of guilt and shame that Jesus left in the grave. I see you because I have been you.
And you doubt God’s love for you. Trust me when I say I used to feel the same way. Used to. Past tense. But then the Spirit gave me a revelation. If I am going to teach the faithfulness of God’s Word – if I proclaim that the Bible is true and trustworthy I must also believe when the Scripture says that God loves me with an everlasting, unfailing, never-ending, perfect, holy love. And so do you.
Above all I believe the Bible is true because of Jesus’ own words: “Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth” (John 17: 17). The Scriptures are trustworthy (Ps 8:28) – every jot and tittle. God’s Word cannot be true about some things and untrue about others. Beloved, you can rest yourself in the promise – God loves you. You can take Him at His Word.

What About When You Run Out of Steam?

I took a couple of days off this week because I have been so tired lately – and because my house desperately needed some spring cleaning. We have been pushing hard at work since we came back from the holiday break. But I have also been emotionally tired. What do we do when we are more-than-a-day-off kind of tired?
Paul, who had every right to whine, also got tired. But he chose to look at his life from a different perspective. He wrote: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor 4:7-9)
He acknowledged that his circumstances were hard – he was being pressed from many different directions by people with very different agendas. He was perplexed; he couldn’t understand why his own people were rejecting the Messiah they had so long sought. He was persecuted – his life was often in danger, his ministry was detested by the Jewish leaders and even by certain factions of the church. He was struck down – beaten and stoned more than once for his tenacious devotion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Despite all that, he refused to give in to misery. He knew no human could crush him because he belonged to the Lord. He reminded himself that his Lord and Savior would never abandon him, and had even come to stand beside him in prison (Acts 23:11). He knew that the Lord he served with all his heart would not allow him to be destroyed.
This is your testimony too if you are in Christ. You are not a victim—you are a victor! Yes, life gets very hard sometimes, but you and I need not give in to despair because our Lord will not let us be crushed or destroyed. He has promised to never abandon His own, not even in our darkest, hardest moments. Like Paul, we must learn to hold fast to Jesus and trust Him despite our circumstances or feelings.
Yes, I am tired, but the Lord promises to give me strength. Yes, I get overwhelmed, but He will carry my burdens. Yes, I feel weary, but He will sustain me. I can focus on my exhaustion and emotions, or my faithful Father. And I can take some time to rest. Isaiah declared “In quietness and trust is your strength” (Is 30:15). Beloved, get a little rest and trust in the Lord.

Church History: No Islands in the Body of Christ

My Granddaughter Joy at “Honey School” photo by Wanda Battles Williams at Rehobeth Baptist Church, Rehobeth Alabama.

Paul – persecutor-turned-proclaimer – caused quite a stir. The Jews were perplexed by him – and angry with – him. He “baffled the Jews in Damascus” with his message, “proving that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 9:22). They plotted to kill Paul, but his friends helped him escape by way of a basket. The Christians in Jerusalem did not trust him and refused to welcome him into their fellowship. He was an island unto himself. Nobody wanted to associate with him. Until a trusted member of the Jerusalem congregation, Barnabas – whose name meant “Encourager,” came to his side and his defense. The brothers in Jerusalem gladly received him and once again rescued him from the threat of death.
Paul and Barnabas would log many miles together as missionary-sojourners. When they parted ways – not so amicably (Acts 15:36-41) – Paul took Silas as his ministry partner. All along the way, Paul gathered people to join him in his work. Timothy, Lydia, Priscilla and Aquila, and Titus were his closest companions. His ministry team also included Erastus (Acts 19:22), Gaius and Aristarchus from Macedonia (Acts 19:29), Sopater of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus of Thessalonica, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia (Acts 20:1–5). John Mark brought a great deal of anguish – and companionship to Paul’s life. A runaway slave was also a ministry partner with Paul – after he submitted to his master’s authority and approval (Philemon). Paul recognized many others who were an important part of his work in his letters.
What is the application of all of this? Paul started out as an island, but he didn’t stay that way. He needed Christian friends and companions and mentors and mentees and fellow servants of the Lord to grow in his faith and into his ministry. So do you and I. Even Jesus, the very Son of God, didn’t try to go it alone. When Christian leaders try to stand apart from others they almost always implode. Wisdom says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17). You and I cannot hone ourselves. We need people who can spot the dull places and help us reach our best selves.
I cannot imagine who I would be without godly friends and mentors, teachers, preachers, encouragers, challengers, and a few busy-bodies who told me what I didn’t want to hear. I also cannot imagine my life without those I have taught and mentored through the years. Beloved, you need godly people. And somebody needs you. Find your place in the chain of fellow believers.